Mom and dad want to do this to their son?
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me about a news clip on Fox News New York. It covered the ridiculous practice of parents ASKING doctors to do elective Tommy John surgery on their sons, so they can throw harder.
Try as I did to find the clip – or the article – I took my friends word for it, and was actually pretty happy I didn’t have to see it.
But, I stumbled across the infamous video just the other day… and since it’s a rainy, cold day in my neck of the woods, I thought I’d share the clip with you! (How nice of me!)
To steal a line from Sports Illustrated, here is a sign that the apocalypse is upon us…
For the record, Tommy John surgery is not the secret potion for the velocity impaired. While some pitchers will have a brief spike in their velocity, it will prove to be short lived. Remember: the surgery tightens an area that has not only stretched, but has ripped, torn or even shredded. After the surgery, if pitchers continue to throw the same way they did pre-injury (in the case of this video, pre-elective-surgery) they will eventually stretch, rip, tear, or shred the “tightened area” again… and probably quicker than they did the first time. Think of all the throws/pitches these little boys will make after “the gift” their parents give them…
Not only does that mean an eventual drop in velocity, but an end to a career, a disabled arm, and everything that goes along with it. (I remember a pitcher by the name of Billy Koch. He had Tommy John, and said it was the greatest thing that ever happened to him because he did throw harder. Then he had to have the surgery again. The he found himself out of baseball.)
Tommy John Surgery is not elective nor is it corrective surgery. It is only to repair damage. It does not have a 100% success rate. It does not even guarantee that you will regain normal function of your arm. (And by normal, I mean life off the baseball field.) It does not produce a consistently “faster” fastball. It does not make you a better pitcher, or turn you into a position player with a cannon for an arm.
It’s around to repair damage done from throwing incorrectly, or the eventual result of being taught incorrectly. (Remember: it’s not simply overuse… it’s misuse!)
I’m pretty sure none of my readers have even thought Tommy John Surgery was even an option to improve an already healthy arm. But, just in case…
Coach Bones
BTW – I don’t know if it’s an official record, but Jose Rijo (former Reds great) had the surgery FIVE times.
coach bones,
im brady spiller, i am a senior in high school in austin texas. i just recently had tommy john surgery. baseball has been my life and will always be. but you made a great point with these kids and there parents trying to increase there velocity.. thank you for all your great info you have over this surgery.
Hey Brady,
I am very sorry to hear about your surgery. Despite having baseball as much a part of my life as it is, I can’t even imagine what you are going through right now. I’ve been on the Disabled List, but only for a few weeks. My surgery (broken jaw), didn’t require nearly the rehab you will be going through.
Hang in there. Work hard throughout your rehab – as tough as it may get. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc., along the way, do not hesitate to send it my way.
Thank you for the compliment. It means a lot.
Coach Bones
thanks coach,
i do have a question about rehab. Is it really as hard as they say it is?? like make you cry?? im just ready to get back out and go play!!
Hey Brady,
I’m even more sorry that I haven’t noticed that you sent a comment my way! I’ll have to check out why I wasn’t given the heads up!
Anyway, to your question…
First and foremost, nothing should be done to your arm, until the holes that were drilled in your bones for your “new ligament,” haven’t completely closed up. I’m sure your doctor knows this, but since recent reports have glorified quicker returns to the mound than in the past (like Tim Hudson) well, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Secondly, and probably most important, YOU have to realize that beginning of rehab, is regaining NORMAL function of your arm… not throwing a baseball. You will have to teach your arm – and everything in it – to flex, extend, and all of the movements most people on the planet take for granted. This is the part that will probably hurt more than any other physical part of the rehab, because of the fact that your arm has been locked in one place for a long time. I can remember when I broke my jaw. When I finally had the wires taken out, I had to literally pull my mouth open to “teach” my mouth to simple work the way I was used to. It wasn’t fun… and it certainly wasn’t painless.
Third, there is the mental aspect of the rehab. At first, the rehab itself is the tough adjustment, especially if you’re already thinking about getting back out there and throwing. This will be baby steps at the very best, and it will test your patience, your frustration levels, and your desire to complete it. On a positive note: you will learn a lot about yourself in the process.
The second part of the mental game will be when you’re told to finally let it loose. From the pitchers I’ve spoken to (that had this surgery) this is the biggest mental “block.”
The last thing I have to say is this: your arm failed you because you did something to it that it did not want to do. Not one time either. You injury is the perfect example of the straw that broke the camels back. The way you were taught/ learned to throw caused your Ulnar Collateral Ligament to stretch, fray, and eventually rupture. This is the body’s only way to tell you this: You need to learn another way of throwing a baseball if you want to make sure this will never happen again.
Remember: It took you what 16, 17, 18 years to do this to your arm? The fact is, your “new” ligament does not have the luxury of blood flow to help it recover and repair. That means if you continue to throw the way you did pre-injury, there is an excellent chance that the injury will happen again, and much sooner than the first.
I’m not saying this to scare you, but tell you something that your doctor, your pitching instructor, or your coach won’t. Sure they’ll tell you to clean up your mechanics, but that’s just a blanket answer that covers their butts if something were to go wrong.
But I think I’m getting ahead of myself.
In the meantime, if you don’t mind, could you fill me in on the injury, and how far out of surgery you are right now? You don’t have to put your info in the comment form. I have a “contact” link you can use at the top of the page.
Actually, it wouldn’t hurt if you visited the site http://www.drmikemarshall.com. This site belongs to the only man in the history of the world to have both a Cy Young Award, and a PhD. There you can learn quite a bit about preventing any further damage to your arm, and pick up a few nasty pitches too.
Again Brady, sorry it took so long to get back to you. When you get back to me, I will do my best to respond faster.
Good Luck!